Cheddar's Crypto Craze explores the latest movements in this emerging market. Anchors Hope King and Brad Smith talk about the latest crackdown by regulators, plus how one entrepreneur is tapping into the luxury market.
The SEC issued dozens of subpoenas to investigate initial coin offerings. Fortune Senior Writer Jen Wieczner explains what this crackdown means for the cryptocurrency market.
"This is something that is on everyone's mind," says Wieczner. "I think its going to be largely a good thing. People in the ICO space say this is going to give them some clarity."
Wieczner says ultimately this crackdown can weed out bad actors in this emerging market.
A new player in the cryptocurrency space is looking to build an ecosystem around this emerging market. Hodl.vc Founder and Managing Partner Ivan Soto-Wright explains how this company is tapping into the luxury market.
"We are thinking how do we actually make a lasting impact on the space," says Soto-Wright. Hodl.vc has founded three key products: Moon Assets, Apollo, and Eltcoin.
Moon Assets launched in December 2017 as an e-commerce platform that enables people to buy luxury cars through Bitcoin. "For us it was an experiment and it turned into much more," said Soto-Wright. The platform now brokers Lamborghinis through Bitcoin, with plans to launch new verticals in the future.
Plus, Brad Smith checked out an ATM at the Bitcoin Center in New York City.
As Russian forces invade Ukraine, millions of dollars in cryptocurrency has flowed into the country to lend support. Russian citizens are also seeing the appeal after sanctions have made their traditional banks unreliable. Robbie Heeger, president and CEO of Endaoment, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Amazon unveiled its new mobile app called Amp as a direct competitor to Clubhouse, allowing people to host live radio shows. Although it is still in beta, users can join the waitlist from the iOS store.
The war in Ukraine continues to reveal heartbreaking gut-wrenching stories. The war in itself is not only devastating but also expensive. Experts estimate that Russia is draining nearly $20 million dollars each day to continue occupying and invading Ukraine. All this could force the country to turn to cryptocurrencies. It's a major turn for the country that briefly considered outlined digital assets entirely, but it could also have serious implications for cryptos. Managing Director at Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
